On a hot muggy overcast day, they came, they played, and we all had fun.
Just like the old days, people sat on the sides. History of Baseball later.
Lakewood Historical Society's Director, Gregg Palumbo, with period ice chests. While I
might be wrong about the coolers, I m correct about Gregg Palumbo, and he did just get
married! Congratulations!
Cleveland Blues pitcher catches the ball.
And let's it fly.
Thanks for a wonderful afternoon Lakewood Historical Society, Gregg Palumbo, and all the
volunteers. It is nice to slow down now and then, take a break, and think about days gone
by, and where we are now.
See ya next year.!
Please considering supporting the Lakewood Historical Society, they have many ways
to help you help them save our history.
http://www.lakewoodhistory.org/
.
A Brief History of Base Ball handed out at the game.
Hoboken, NJ promotes itself as the city where the first game of "base ball" was played on June 19,1846. The base ball game they called the "first" had only recently been invented by a committee of New Yorkers, headed by Alexander Cartwright. These rules are known as the Cartwright Rules. The gentlemen clubs that took to the diamond for that first match game were Cartwright's Knickerbocker Base Ball Club and the New York Club.
However, Cartwright's rules were just one of many variations of ball and stick games played by fraternal groups and children throughout the growing country. These games were adaptations of earlier games, primarily the ancient games of rounders and cricket. When Cartwright's rules were refined and expanded by a convention of base ball players in 1857, the four base, counter clockwise "New York Rules" game was destined to become the standard. However, at each convention of players, the rules were modified. The first compiled New York Rules consisted of 33 sections. By 1860, when the first Beadle's Dime Base-Ball Player was issued, there were 38 sections. Six years later, it had increased to 43 sections. The country was torn apart following the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. While the War of the Rebellion unfolded, match games of base ball in camp offered a restful break between bloody battles. Following the war, organized clubs sprang up in all parts of the country. Base ball's new-found popularity led to rewards for top players. In 1869 the rules were relaxed and the first all-pro club, The Cincinnati Red Stockings, changed the game forever.
No longer was base ball a gentleman's game. Admission to matches became the norm. Enclosed parks were built. Leagues were formed. Uniforms became more practical with the introduction of knickers. Competition necessitated changes in pitching, which changed the strategy of the game. Underhand pitches evolved into side throws, which eventually gave way to the speedy overhand pitches we all recognize today. With lightning-fast pitches came the need for padded gloves and other safety equipment for the catcher. By 1900, the game we know today had developed. As baseball became a money-making venture, legends were created. In 1907 the tale that General Abner Doubleday had "invented" baseball was first reported by A.G. Spalding, an early player, club owner and equipment manufacturer.
One of the earliest documented accounts of women playing base ball in the United States was a letter from Vassar College student Annie Glidden to her brother on April 20,1866. "They are getting up various clubs now for outdoor exercise. They have a floral society, boat clubs, and base ball. I belong to one of the latter, and enjoy it hugely, I can assure you." The Lady Locks Base Ball Club is fashioned after the Resolutes Base Ball Club of Vassar College.
Sunday, July 27th, 2014
Today's Schedule:
11:00 am Game 1: Cleveland Blues Base Ball Club vs. Villagers Base Ball Club
12:30 pm Special Guest: Speaker Scott Longert in the Lakewood Park Skate House
1:45 pm Game 2: Cleveland Blues Base Ball Club vs. Akron Black Stockings Base Ball Club
3:15 pm Game 3: Akron Black Stockings Base Ball Club vs. Villagers Base Ball Club